Exhibition Place joins push for Liberty Village stop

Metrolinx says technical challenges prevent a stop there

Exhibition Place has joined the chorus of voices calling for Metrolinx to include a stop in Liberty Village.

In the latter part of 2009, Metrolinx indicated a commuter station would not be constructed at the Liberty Village/King West station stop in the Georgetown South Service Expansion (GSSE).

"We were disappointed to learn recently that in spite of our efforts to see it become a reality, there will not be a Liberty Village/King Street West station included in expansion plans for the GO Georgetown line and Union Pearson rail link," reads the letter penned in December by Liberty Village BIA Chair Reid Henry. The group represents more than 500 businesses and 7,000 employees in the area.

Robin Alam, with the Government Relations&Strategic Communications Office of GO Transit, explained in an e-mail that questions about potential stop locations were examined in the GSSE Environmental Assessment (EA), which was approved in 2009.

"The approved EA project does not include a King Street GO Station as there were a number of technical challenges that prevented a GO Station at this location," Alam wrote. "Track alignment is one factor that presented a technical challenge in choosing King Street as a potential GO Station. Track alignment refers to the vertical and horizontal position of the track in relation to the elevation of the proposed station."

The GO Train Georgetown Service and the Union Pearson Rail Link service will stop at Union Station and Weston GO Station within City of Toronto limits.

But, that hasn't stopped the Board of Governors of Exhibition Place from recently backing the Liberty Village BIA and sending a letter of their own.

In January the board approved a letter be sent to Metrolinx supporting the need to have a Liberty Village/King West station stop.

It believes this stop is imperative to their businesses and it is also an extremely important transportation link for Exhibition Place and the Canadian National Exhibition (CNE).

"Since Metrolinx announced its decision not to include a Liberty Village/King West station stop there have been many fundamental changes to the CNE grounds, which would suggest that it is vital that Metrolinx reconsider its decision," reads a report received by the board on Jan. 7.

These changes include the approval of a 225-suite hotel for Exhibition Place, the opening of the Allstream Centre and that Exhibition Place is a major site of the 2015 Pan Am Games.